1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of purchase item processing and checkout equipment. More specifically it relates to an automatic price reading and bagging apparatus including a rotatable, annular upper table and a fixed, circular lower table, a bar code scanner and a microprocessor. The upper table is horizontally mounted on spokes leading to a rotatable hub powered by an electric motor. The scanner is mounted within the lower table directly below a portion of the upper table, and the upper table is transparent so that scanner rays can pass through the upper table to read bar codes on purchase item. Bag holding chambers are recessed periodically around the perimeter of the top of the lower table and each chamber is lined with a purchase item carrying bag. Ports are provided periodically around the perimeter of the upper table which open into purchase item delivery funnels for delivering individual purchase items into the carrying bags. A transparent tray for holding a purchase item covers each port and the trays are removable from and tiltable relative to the port with a mechanical arm or equivalent tray moving means.
The method includes the steps of placing a single purchase item marked with a scanner bar code into one of the trays, while the upper table is rotated and to sequentially present each tray to the purchaser. The rotation of the upper table passes the purchase item over the scanner, which reads the price and description of the item and transmits this information to the micro-processor. Then the rotation of the upper table carries the tray and purchase item beyond the scanner and over the series of purchase bags, each bag being designated for receiving a specific type of purchase item. The micro-processor uses the scanned information about the purchase item to select which bag the item should enter, and powers the motor to rotate the upper table a sufficient number of degrees to place the purchase item directly above the appropriate bag. Then the tray is lifted and tilted by a mechanical arm or other means to drop the purchase item through the port beneath the item and into the appropriate bag. This process is continued until all purchase items for a given purchaser are priced and appropriately bagged. Then the purchaser pays the total price for the items, lifts the bags out of the chambers and carries them out of the store.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
There have recently been several checkout purchase item processing devices which are intended to accelerate the checkout process. These devices have generally been unequipped to automatically bag or bar code scan purchase items, and unequipped to sort purchase items for grouping by type. These device have also generally been unduly bulky and expensive to manufacture and maintain.
Such prior devices include Humble, U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,343, issued on Jun. 30, 1987, disclosing a self-service distribution system. Humble includes a tunnel through which purchase items are conveyed, but scanning is done by store employees before they enter the tunnel. Collins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,819, issued on May 29, 1990, revealing a method and apparatus for customer performed article scanning in self-service shopping. Collins includes a scanning module which is carried in a cart. Humble, U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,053, issued on Oct. 16, 1990, teaches a self-checkout of produce items. Humble processes both UPC identified articles and non-coded articles such as produce. Kohno, U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,613, issued on Mar. 23, 1993, discloses a commodity data reader including a bar code scanner on one side of an elongated counter. Purchase items pass for scanning across the scanning window. Kipp, U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,167, issued on Aug. 24, 1993, reveals a checkout system including a transmitter on each purchase item for transmitting product identifying information when activated. Humble, U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,018, issued on Dec. 20, 1988 teaches a system for security processing of retailed articles. Humble includes a bar code reader, a conveyor for receipt and transport of such purchase items, and a controller for selective movement of the conveyor. Humble is another tunnel type of checkout apparatus with external, manually operated scanner.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a checkout apparatus and method which automatically prices and bags purchase items.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus and method which automatically identifies purchase items by type of purchase item and deposits the purchase items by type into bags which are designated by type.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus and method which prices and bags such items rapidly, reliably and efficiently.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is inexpensive to manufacture and to operate.